Arts Umbrella's Rio Tinto Alcan Van Go and Stage Coach Outreach is a free theatre and visual arts program delivered by Arts Umbrella to elementary schools throughout the Metro-Vancouver area. In these workshops students engage with artists and learn to sketch, draw, paint, make prints and act in response to a particular topic. The theme for this year is the "The Art of Story Telling." Students complete one project in the 90 minute session. 

For more information please contact Nicky Ward at 604.681.5268 x262

Download our preparation checklist, and make sure you are prepared!

REGISTRATION IS NOW AVAILABLE: access the link here.

Registration begins Monday, September 8 for designated schools only,  on a first come, first served basis. 

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Resources and Materials

The Rio Tinto Alcan Van Go and Stage Coach Programs are  free visual arts and theatre programs that is delivered to inner city schools through­out the Metro-Vancouver area. For 18 years, Rio Tinto Alcan has partnered with Arts Umbrella to provide these unique outreach programs.

Through these work­shops, students learn to sketch, draw, paint and act, while also learning new ways to understand themselves and their world. Arts Umbrella has chosen the continue theme of ‘storytelling’ for the 2008/09 Rio Tinto Alcan Van Go and Stage Coach Program and will be encouraged to connect these narratives to their own lives through creative self-expression. 

Storytelling Through Music

Drama with Susanne Moniz de Sa

Susanne is an Arts Umbrella instructor for this program and the HSBC Save Our Planet Program, the Youth Acting Workshop, as well as Director for the Junior Theatre Troupe. She has a BFA (Drama) from the University of Calgary and a BA (Psychology) from the University of Manitoba. She is also a director, drama coordinator, consultant and member of Tight Corset Theatre Company.

Workshop overview and resources

Storytelling Portraits

Painting & Drawing with Tara Carmichael

Tara is an instructor with this program and a Painting and Drawing Instructor at Arts Umbrella. She has a BFA and Teacher Certification K-12 from the University of Iowa. She is an artist who creates inspired by the kids she teaches and the stories of her life.

Workshop overview and resources

Storytelling Art

Printmaking with Roberta Robertson Smythe

Marta is an Arts Umbrella Printmaking instructor for this program and the HSBC Save Our Planet Program. She has a BFA (Hons.) Painting, from Mt. Allison University and is the owner of Rare Threads. She is a painter and sculptor and has exhibited in group shows from 1970-2008.

Workshop overview and resources

Classroom Activities and Resources

Me and My Day Books

Sending Stories

Tell Me a Work of Art

Resources and additional classroom activities researched and prepared by:

Aileen Pugliese Castro

Aileen is an Arts Umbrella visual arts instructor and a sessional instructor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She has over 13 years of experience teaching young artists in the public schools. She has a BFA (Illustration) and a MAT (Art Education) from Maryland Institute College of Art. She is also a landscape painter who has exhibited both locally and internationally.